Rivers rerun: PDP condemns dismissal of 6 police officers attached to Governor Wike, calls for their immediate reinstatement

Last Friday, the Nigeria Police Force dismissed 6 police officers attached to Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, over allegations of professional misconduct during the state's legislative rerun election which held in December last year(Read Here). PDP has released a statement condemning their dismissal and calling for the immediate reinstatement of the six officers. Read the statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Dayo Adeyeye, after the cut.

We condemned in strong terms the dismissal of six police officers attached to the Governor of Rivers State, Chief Nyesom Wike by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) on Friday, January 6, 2017. The offense adduced for their secret trial and subsequent dismissal was a mere concoction and a ruse. The hurried dismissal of these police men is another valid pointer to the pre-election rigging plans and the assassination attempt on Governor Wike by the APC led administration before the December 10, 2016 Rerun Elections in Rivers State. It will be recalled that the Nigeria Police Force withdrew over 70 percent of its personnel deployed to Rivers State Government House and the Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the Governor few days to the Elections. It is obvious by this latest action that the APC led administration after the failed assassination attempt on Governor Wike, decided to punish the 6 police officers who defended their oath of office and job ethics by refusing to carry out the hatchet plans. The accusation of "professional misconduct" leveled against the officers who were only performing their constitutional duties by the Police hierarchy is a slap on the rule of law, ethical responsibility of police duties and the tenets of democratic values. This is unfair and highly condemnable as the accused officers were not even allowed to defend themselves before they were summarily dismissed which is against basic human rights. Change administration indeed!

This is unacceptable and the dismissed officers should be reinstated immediately in the interest of professionalism, justice, equity, and fair play. This call for thier immediate re-instatement is equally in the interest of the Nigerian Police to save the bartered image of the Force. Otherwise, this action will be further understood to mean that the Police surely has something to hide but instead played to the gallary with this contraption as a cover up to their hidden agenda and the atrocities committed by some of its men during the Rerun elections. For instance, it is on record that the leader of the police Special Anti Robbery Squad (SARS) in Rivers State, Mr. Akin Fakorede was seen on television with his men openly hijacking election materials and intimidating voters and INEC officials during the Rerun elections. In addition, it is also a well known fact that the security agencies in Rivers State during the Rerun elections threw caution to the wind and worked assiduously in favour of the Ruling Party, the All Progressive Congress (APC). These and many more unholy activities of officers and men of the Force should be of serious and great concern to a well-meaning government. But No! Governments of the APC at all levels are the pepetrators of these heinous crime against Nigeria electoral processes, citizens, and democracy within and outside.

It is instructive to note that the PDP, other well-meaning Nigerians and members of the international community are looking forward to the actions of the Ruling Party in redressing this brazen act of unprofessionalism, electoral malpractices and other misdemeanor of the Police Force and some other security agencies in the Rivers State elections of December 10, 2016. To this end, we do hope and believe that the Police hierachy will take our advise seriously and reinstate the sacked officers to their various position and duty post and immediately put to trial Mr. Fakorede and his men seen committing electoral fraud in Rivers State.